Big rig overturns on the 5fwy in SoCal. It was carrying thousands of bags of mozzarella cheese. The truck caught fire. The smell of burning cheese was so bad that they issued a warning to nearby residents to stay indoors and close windows. The driver escaped with minor injuries.

What a mess it made. That will be a tough clean up from what I could see in the video.

Big rig overturns on the 5fwy in SoCal. It was carrying thousands of bags of mozzarella cheese. The truck caught fire. The smell of burning cheese was so bad that they issued a warning to nearby residents to stay indoors and close windows. The driver escaped with minor injuries.

What a mess it made. That will be a tough clean up from what I could see in the video.

She says: "After years of dreaming, hoping and working, followed by months of planning and preparation, I am honored and proud to introduce my signature guitar, the Ibanez JIVA.

This beauty will be sold worldwide and comes equipped exactly how I play it live, including brand new signature DiMarzio pickups meticulously designed by yours truly.

"When I had my first meeting with Ibanez in September of 2008, they asked me why they should add me to the artist roster. My (typically emotional) answer was: 'All my heroes are Ibanez players. It's a dream come true for me to just come and meet you guys. If you don't want to give me an endorsement, I'll still play my Ibanez guitars proudly, but it would be a huge honor to join the family and represent the company officially.'

"They took a chance on a basically unknown girl from L.A. (I was actually the only girl on the USA roster at that time) and coming up on my 10th amazing year as an Ibanez artist, words cannot express how honored and thrilled I am to now join the ranks of my greatest heroes as a signature artist."

Nita told Guitar Girl Magazine in a 2017 interview that she started playing guitar when she was 13 years old. "I played drums first, and I was just no good at all," she said. "Then I switched to bass, and I wasn't any good at that either! I'm still not. And, finally, I picked up the guitar and it just stuck. My first guitar was a $99 Squire Stratocaster and I think it came with a little amp and a songbook and some guitar picks and a capo and a slide and a cable and a whole bunch of accoutrements. It was the cheapest little guitar and I played it for years. I didn't have anything nicer for a long time. I was just so passionate about learning and playing and getting better. And then, of course, as soon as I got nicer guitars, I was like, okay, this is a lot easier to play fast. I remember when I picked up my first Ibanez, I was, like, 'Why didn't anybody tell me that I should be playing this the whole time?' As soon as I got my first Ibanez, I just never played anything else — my blood bleeds Ibanez. I have no bargaining power with them; they know that. It's like if you tell a guy you love him right away when you've been dating, which is actually what I did in my relationship too, it just takes away all the power. It's like I love you, then you have no mystery, no build-up, no nothing! There's no suspense. Just like you're stuck now. And I'm happily stuck with both my relationship and my guitar of choice."

Strauss made her name with THE IRON MAIDENS, FEMME FATALE and LA Kiss prior to hooking up with Cooper.

Nita joined the legendary rocker's band in 2014 as the replacement for Orianthi.

The Russian group that hacked the DNC and generally meddled in the U.S. election is known as Cozy Bear. He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword. Cozy Bear was itself hacked—by the Dutch intelligence service AIVD. The Dutch completely penetrated Cozy Bear and were not only able to obtain documents from its computers, but even took over the surveillance cameras at its headquarters in a university building off Red Square in Moscow, so they could see images of all the hackers.

The Dutch turned their findings over to the CIA and NSA during the 2016 election. Those agencies, in turn, warned the DNC that they had been infilitrated, but the DNC did nothing. It is thought that the reason the CIA and NSA have said there is no doubt that the Russians meddled in the election is the evidence given to them by the AIVD. The report of the counter-hack was published in the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant; the AIVD itself hasn't commented on the matter.

In further news, the EUGT (Europäische Forschungsvereinigung für Umwelt und Gesundheit im Transportsektor), a research group founded by car brands Daimler, Volkswagen and BMW, along with Bosch, didn't just research the effects of exhaust gases on monkeys, as per this NY Times article:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/busi ... nkeys.html

In further news, the EUGT (Europäische Forschungsvereinigung für Umwelt und Gesundheit im Transportsektor), a research group founded by car brands Daimler, Volkswagen and BMW, along with Bosch, didn't just research the effects of exhaust gases on monkeys, as per this NY Times article:https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/busi ... nkeys.html

German automakers under fire over diesel exhaust tests on monkeys, humansDAVID MCHUGH AND GEIR MOULSONLast updated 06:58, January 30 2018 SUPPLIEDVolkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said the tests must be fully investigated.

Public criticism of the German auto industry has escalated on reports that diesel exhaust tests were carried out on both monkeys and humans.

The tests were reportedly carried out by a research group funded by major German auto companies. On Monday, the German government condemned the experiments and Volkswagen sought to distance itself from them, with its chairman saying that "in the name of the whole board I emphatically disavow such practices.''

Revelations of the tests add a twist to the German auto industry's attempt to move past Volkswagen's scandal over cheating on diesel tests and the resulting questioning of diesel technology across the industry.

Volkswagen Chairman Hans Dieter Poetsch said the tests must be "investigated completely and without reservation,'' the dpa news agency reported.

A report by the New York Times found that the research group financed by top German car manufacturers commissioned experiments in which one group of monkeys was exposed to diesel exhaust from a late-model Volkswagen, while another group was exposed to fumes from an older Ford pickup.

The experiments were carried out in 2014 before Volkswagen was caught using software that let vehicles cheat on emissions tests. They were intended to show modern diesel technology had solved the problem of excess emissions, but according to the New York Times report the Volkswagen car in the tests was equipped with illegal software that turned emissions controls on while the car was on test stands and off during regular driving.

Volkswagen admitted using the software in 2015. The Volkswagen scandal led to public scrutiny of diesel emissions as regulators discovered that other companies' vehicles also had higher emissions on the road than during testing, though not necessarily through illegal rigging. The industry has had to fend off calls for diesel bans in German cities with high pollution levels.

Daimler AG said it was "appalled by the nature and extent of the studies'' and said that, though it did not have any influence on the studies' design, "we have launched a comprehensive investigation into the matter.''

BMW said that it "did not participate in the mentioned study'' on animals "and distances itself from this study.'' It said it was investigating the work and background of the research group.

The Times report said the group that commissioned the studies, known by German initial EUGT, got all its funding from the three automakers; Volkswagen said in a statement the founders were Volkswagen, BMW, Daimler and components and technology firm Bosch.

The New York Times report was followed by one in Monday's edition of the Stuttgarter Zeitung daily that the now-closed research group also commissioned tests in which humans were exposed to nitrogen dioxide, which belongs to a class of pollutant known as nitrogen oxides. The group reportedly said the tests showed no effect on the subjects.

The human study, carried out by Aachen University, involved studying the effects of exposing 25 subjects, mostly students, to low levels of nitrogen dioxide like those that could be found in the environment from a 40 litre bottle, not a diesel engine. The individuals gave informed written consent for the study, which was approved by the ethics committee of the university's medical faculty, according to the study. The university said the study had no relation to the diesel scandal.

The German government condemned the reported tests on animals and humans. Transport Minister Christian Schmidt "has no understanding for such tests ... that do not serve science but merely PR aims,'' spokesman Ingo Strater told reporters in Berlin.

He called for the companies concerned to provide "immediate and detailed'' responses, and said a ministry commission of inquiry that was set up after the emissions scandal broke will hold a special meeting to examine whether there are any other cases.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said that "the disgust many people are feeling is absolutely understandable.''

"These tests on monkeys or even humans can in no way be ethically justified,'' Seibert said. "They raise many critical questions for those behind these tests, and these questions must urgently be answered.''

He questioned the aims of the tests. "The automakers have to reduce emissions of harmful substances further and further,'' he said. "They should not be trying to prove the supposed harmlessness of exhaust with the help of monkeys or even humans.''

Seibert said that the supervisory boards of the companies concerned "have a particular responsibility.''

The governor of the German state of Lower Saxony, a major shareholder in Volkswagen, added his voice to calls for quick answers.

Stephan Weil, who sits on VW's supervisory board, stressed that "the behaviour of the company must in every respect fulfill ethical demands.'' He said he hadn't known about the tests.

The news has only just been published, but the discovery was made in late 2016: in Nieuwegein (central Netherlands) researchers discovered a skeleton of a woman with a baby in her arms. This skeleton is 6,000 years old, making it the oldest baby skeleton found in The Netherlands.https://nos.nl/artikel/2214452-6000-jaa ... egein.html

Former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing is to release a book titled Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest which will document the history of the band through his eyes.

It’ll be published on September 18 via Da Capo Press and will “delve backstage into the decades of shocking, hilarious, and haunting stories that surround the heavy metal institution” that is Judas Priest.

The synopsis on the book continues: “In Heavy Duty, guitarist KK Downing discusses the complex personality conflicts, the business screw-ups, the acrimonious relationship with fellow heavy metal band Iron Maiden, as well as how Judas Priest found itself at the epicentre of a storm of parental outrage that targeted heavy metal in the 80s.

“He also describes his role in cementing the band's trademark black leather and studs image that would not only become synonymous with the entire genre, but would also give singer Rob Halford a viable outlet by which to express his sexuality.

“Lastly, he recounts the life-changing moment when he looked at his bandmates on stage during a 2010 concert and thought, ‘This is the last show.’ Whatever the topic, whoever's involved, KK doesn't hold back.”

The synopsis continues: “Downing has seen it all and is now finally at a place in his life where he can also let it all go. Even if you're a lifelong fan, if you think you know the full story of Judas Priest, well, you've got another thing coming.”

Former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing is to release a book titled Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest which will document the history of the band through his eyes.

It’ll be published on September 18 via Da Capo Press and will “delve backstage into the decades of shocking, hilarious, and haunting stories that surround the heavy metal institution” that is Judas Priest.

The synopsis on the book continues: “In Heavy Duty, guitarist KK Downing discusses the complex personality conflicts, the business screw-ups, the acrimonious relationship with fellow heavy metal band Iron Maiden, as well as how Judas Priest found itself at the epicentre of a storm of parental outrage that targeted heavy metal in the 80s.

“He also describes his role in cementing the band's trademark black leather and studs image that would not only become synonymous with the entire genre, but would also give singer Rob Halford a viable outlet by which to express his sexuality.

“Lastly, he recounts the life-changing moment when he looked at his bandmates on stage during a 2010 concert and thought, ‘This is the last show.’ Whatever the topic, whoever's involved, KK doesn't hold back.”

The synopsis continues: “Downing has seen it all and is now finally at a place in his life where he can also let it all go. Even if you're a lifelong fan, if you think you know the full story of Judas Priest, well, you've got another thing coming.”

After decades of research, development of a male birth control may now be one step closer. My colleagues and I are working on a promising lead for a male birth control pill based on ouabain – a plant extract that African warriors and hunters traditionally used as a heart-stopping poison on their arrows.

STATE OF THE SEARCH

While the birth control pill has been available to women in the United States for nearly six decades – and FDA-approved for contraceptive use since 1960 – an oral contraceptive for men has not yet come to market. The pill has provided women with safe, effective and reversible options for birth control, while options for men have been stuck in a rut.JOHN NICHOLSON/SUPPLIEDOral birth control has only been for women in the past decades, but that may change soon.

Today, men have just two choices when it comes to birth control: condoms or a vasectomy. Together, these two methods account for just 30 percent of contraception used, leaving the remaining 70 percent of contraceptive methods to women. An estimated 500,000 American men opt for a vasectomy each year – a small number given the need for contraception. Vasectomy is an invasive procedure to do that’s also difficult and invasive to reverse.

When it comes to birth control options for men, the need is clear. Unplanned pregnancy rates remain high across the globe. It’s time for more options.KEVIN STENT/SUNDAY STAR TIMESCurrently, male birth control consists of condoms and vasectomies.

HORMONAL VERSUS NONHORMONAL

Researchers are exploring both hormonal and nonhormonal options for male birth control pills. Current hormonal agents under study involve the sex steroids progestins and testosterone.

While the male hormonal birth control pill option is in clinical human trials and likely closer to market, it has several potential side effects: In addition to potentially causing weight gain and changes in libido, it has the ability to lower the levels of good cholesterol (HDL-C) in men, which could negatively affect the heart health of users. The long-term effects of using hormones for male oral contraception are unknown, and it will likely be decades before this information is available.

Here at the University of Minnesota, my colleagues and I have focused on nonhormonal contraception methods that work by targeting sperm motility – biology-speak for the sperms’ ability to move or swim effectively. Good motility is a necessary condition for fertilizing a female egg.

collaboration with Gustavo Blanco at the University of Kansas, we’ve homed in on ouabain: a toxic substance produced by two types of African plants. Mammals also produce ouabain in their bodies, though at lower nonlethal levels that scientists think can help control blood pressure. In fact, physicians have used ouabain in very small doses to treat patients with heart arrhythmias or suffering from heart attacks.

FROM TOXIN TO CONTRACEPTIVE

Researchers know that ouabain disrupts the passage of sodium and potassium ions through cell membranes; it interferes with the proper function of proteins that transport the ions in and out of cells. Some of the ion-transporting protein subunits targeted by ouabain are found in cardiac tissue – its ability to disrupt proper heart function is what makes ouabain a deadly poison. But ouabain also affects another type of transporter subunit called α4, which is found only in sperm cells. This protein is known to be critical in fertility — at least in male mice.

For 10 years, my colleagues and I have been studying ouabain as a potential breakthrough in our quest for a male birth control pill. However, ouabain by itself isn’t an option as a contraceptive because of the risk of heart damage. So we set out to design ouabain analogs – versions of the molecule that are more likely to bind to the α4 protein in sperm than other subunits in heart tissue.

In the lab, we used the techniques of medicinal chemistry to create a derivative of ouabain that is good at zeroing in on the α4 transporter in sperm cells in rats. Once bound to those cells, it interferes with the sperms’ ability to swim – essential to its role in fertilizing an egg. Our new compound showed no toxicity in rats.

Because the α4 transporter is found only on mature sperm cells, the contraceptive effect should be reversible – sperm cells produced after stopping the treatment presumably won’t be affected. Ouabain may also offer men a birth control pill option with fewer systemic side effects than hormonal options.

NEXT STEPS ON THE ROAD TO DRUG DISCOVERY

Our results are promising because our candidate molecule, unlike ouabain, is nontoxic in rats. Our modification is a big step forward in the process of developing a nonhormonal male birth control pill. But there’s a lot left to do before men can buy this contraceptive at the *SPAM*.

After our ouabain analog showed promise in rat studies at reducing sperm motility, future studies will focus on the effectiveness of our lead compound as an actual contraceptive in animals. We need to prove that a reduction in sperm movement translates into a drop in egg fertilization.

Then, we’ll begin the standard steps in drug discovery such as toxicology and safety *SPAM* studies as we advance toward planning and conducting clinical trials. Our team is already taking the next step to test our compound in animal mating trials. If things continue as planned, we hope to get to human clinical trials within five years.

The ConversationReversible, effective male birth control is within sight. World Health Organization numbers suggest that reducing sperm motility by 50 percent or less is sufficient to temporarily make a man infertile. Our ongoing research brings us one step closer to expanding the options for male birth control, providing the world’s 7.6 billion people with a much-needed option for safe and reversible contraception.

Gunda Georg is a Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Director of the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota; Jon Hawkinson is a Research Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Associate Program Director of the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota, and Shameem Syeda is a Principal Scientist at the Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, University of Minnesota.

A cautious, shut take a look at the Debt Clock reveals a dizzying spiral upwardSunday, February 4, 2018By Robert Knight ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Well, it’s not breaking news, but it’s worth noting as President and Congress spar over spending that the national federal debt exceeds $20,000,000,000,000 — and is rising by the minute.

We’re using zeroes here instead of spelling out “trillion” to help get across the enormity of this liability that we are piling onto our children and grandchildren.

Equally sobering is a visit to the USDebtclock.org, which tracks our rising debt at dizzying speed. Introduced on Feb. 20, 1989 by New York real estate magnate Seymour Durst, the U.S. National Debt Clock began by reporting a national debt of “only” $2.7 trillion.

By 1991, it was ticking upward at $13,000 per second. “The amount began accumulating so fast that the last seven digits became totally illegible,” Time magazine reported.

The clock, which was mounted on a building near 42nd Street in Manhattan, stopped in 1995 during a government shutdown (see, gridlock is good). That was the same year Mr. Durst died. The clock got going again under his son Douglas, but broke in 1998 when its computers couldn’t handle the total of $5.5 trillion.

With new hardware, the clock continued to tick upward until Sept. 7, 2000, when it actually began going backward due to the wonderful fact that the national debt began decreasing.

If you’re a Democrat, you’re quick to credit the Clinton administration. If you’re a Republican, you credit Newt Gingrich and the Republican Congress for slapping a lid on Mr. Clinton’s plans to spend us into oblivion. Since deficit spending is catnip to Democrats, the second scenario makes the most sense to me.

Anyway, that blessed period ended with the dot-com crash and the economic fallout from 9/11, and the Durst Organization cranked the clock back up in 2002.

By 2008, they had to revamp it yet again, adding a digit, because the Bush administration had nearly doubled the debt to $10 trillion. Over the next eight years, the Obama administration’s annual deficits (with the Republican House’s complicity from 2011 on and the full Republican Congress from 2015 on) managed to double it again. As of this week, the national debt is cruising beyond $20.6 trillion.

If we keep doubling this thing, it will eat every last penny earned by anyone within a fairly short period. Ever hear about the grains of wheat on the chessboard, where you double the number on each square? Before you can say “compassionate conservatism,” the thing is out of control and into the zillions.

Except for diehard statists who can imagine no reason to limit the size of government, the good news is that there is a growing consensus that the government, especially in Washington, is too big. Too complicated. Too powerful. Too expensive.

The federal goliath has not just stretched its constitutional limits but has busted through them like an Abrams tank through linen.

Frank Zappa, the late rock star with an acerbic wit, once was asked what he thought of the federal government. “I think they’re trying to take over the country,” he said without an ounce of irony.

Like a giant vacuum cleaner on the Potomac River, Washington has sucked up treasure and authority from the rest of the nation and wants more.

It is busily trimming back federal regulations and agency personnel, but it will take a lot to get us back to where we are a semblance of a constitutional republic with a limited government.

Meanwhile, the National Debt Clock keeps humming away near Times Square for anyone who wants to see why the debt for each individual taxpayer exceeds $170,000 and the total debt per family is upwards of $800,000.

The clock is right next to the entrance of an office of the Internal Revenue Service. “We thought it was a fitting location,” Douglas Durst told Time magazine.

As tax season gets into high gear, it’s worth visiting the clock. It helps us understand why federal elections are slated as far from April 15 as possible.

A cautious, shut take a look at the Debt Clock reveals a dizzying spiral upwardSunday, February 4, 2018By Robert Knight ANALYSIS/OPINION:

...Meanwhile, the National Debt Clock keeps humming away near Times Square for anyone who wants to see why the debt for each individual taxpayer exceeds $170,000 and the total debt per family is upwards of $800,000....

It's interesting that we have a trillion dollars a year for the pentagon and the unconstitutional wars... and another trillion dollars for less evil nuclear weapons upgrades...

...but no money for single payer health insurance. The irony of that is beyond most Americans.

We instead have to pay for the wars AND nuclear weapons upgrades, AND pony up hundreds of billions of dollars a year for health insurance company profits (just the profits), so they can deny coverage.

On TV, both the D's and R's fake a "battle" about getting health insurance, and both corrupt parties NOT TELLING about HR676, nearly half price full coverage health insurance for all Americans, whatever procedures they need, no bills, no denials, nobody left out...

HR676 is simply Medicare for all that expands coverage and drops age requirements...you go to doctor and give social security number and that's it...no bills no insurance battles. HR676 has been introduced in the last 5 congresses, but the rich are hoping the people don't find out about it, so they don't say it, and it's not mentioned elite controlled corrupt TV propaganda. If americans knew about it, they'd want it....better to protect the insurance company profits.

Since it's not on TV, Americans don't know about it, it's an example of TV controlling public opinion., controlling what they DON'T know.

The elite own the media and the moneyed politicians. Many times if you try to tell a neighbor about it, they get mad at you, ridicule you, etc. etc... So complete is elite control over these people, we should all just lay down and take it, be quiet and don't resist like the rich need us to do.

So the beat goes on...it has to crash as all this debt is being monetized, ("printing" 60 B a month which waters down our money every month...but the CPI is jimmied so the elite can tell everyone inflation is low on tv to keep the masses pacified).

It would be possible to reverse all this relatively quickly, but not while we're giving all we got (and our grandchildren got), to the rich. If we don't reverse it, it will of course crash again...the rich will have everything and the rest of us will be in riots.

In order to reverse this we would have to IGNORE the big money D&R pony show on TV and vote for people who the TV is refusing tell us about...I don't know if Americans got what it takes to break free of TV control; look around, they are effectively fully controlled now.

Until then, the rich will keep the infighting going, the D's attacking the R's, and the R's attack the D's...while the masses are fighting about it, the puppy can keep on crappin'.

Probably a good idea for every household to have a year of food stored for every household member, cheap beans and rice may come in handy when a burger jumps to $3000.00 overnight.

After 50 years of live performing, the musician announced his upcoming tour will be his last.

The Newark-born Simon, 76, says he experienced a range of emotions in coming to the decision to retire from touring.Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global CitizenPaul Simon’s upcoming tour will be his last.

"I've often wondered what it would feel like to reach the point where I'd consider bringing my performing career to a natural end," he wrote in a statement released Monday. "Now I know: it feels a little unsettling, a touch exhilarating and something of a relief."

He said the recent death of his longtime guitarist Vincent N'guini played a part in his decision, but it wasn't the only factor.

"I feel the travel and the time away from my wife and family takes a toll that detracts from the joy of playing," he said.

Simon, who kicks off his "Homeward Bound — Farewell Tour" on May 18 in Vancouver — noted he still plans to perform live occasionally at an "acoustically pristine hall" after the tour, with the goal of donating the proceeds to organizations devoted to environmental conservation.

Simon currently has tour dates scheduled from May through July that include stops in Canada, the United States and Europe.

He does not have any New York concerts listed on his website currently, though the tour does include nearby stops in Boston (June 15) and Philadelphia (June 16).

The final American concert on the tour takes place on June 20 in Nashville, while the last show overall is scheduled for July 15 in London.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel and CEO Simon Woods announce the 2018/19 season at Walt Disney Concert Hall and beyond. The centerpiece of LA Phil 100, the Centennial program forges an exciting future for the orchestra, its music, its city, and audiences around the world with a forward-looking roster of globe-spanning artistic programs, educational and social-impact initiatives and public celebrations for all of L.A., from September 2018 through October 2019.

20 programs conducted by Dudamel, ranging from the world premiere of John Adams' piano concerto with Yuja Wang as soloist to a climactic performance of Mahler's monumental "Symphony of a Thousand" in its Walt Disney Concert Hall premiere

Cross-disciplinary collaborations with Benjamin Millepied, L.A. Dance Project and American Ballet Theatre for Romeo and Juliet; LA Phil Artist-Collaborator and MacArthur Fellow Yuval Sharon for exceptional performances of Meredith Monk's ATLAS and John Cage's Europeras 1 & 2; composer-conductor Christopher Rountree and the Getty Research Institute for an ongoing Fluxus festival; and Barry Edelstein and The Old Globe for The Tempest

The return of former LA Phil Music Directors Esa-Pekka Salonen and Zubin Mehta, plus a new work by former Music Director André Previn, along with special programs by former Principal Guest Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas

Major events include the 11-day eclectic season kick-off LA Fest, a Fluxus Festival and a multi-part Stravinsky focus led by Esa-Pekka Salonen

Programs celebrating the relationship between movies and music, pairing the orchestra with screenings of excerpts from Stanley Kubrick's masterpieces and a celebration of scores by John Williams

Gustavo Dudamel said: "I have been thrilled to help define and shape the LA Phil over the past decade of our great history, when we have worked with such enthusiasm to make ourselves more diverse, more inclusive, and more engaged with our community, while pushing ourselves every day to make music that is magnificent and courageous. This Centennial season, which focuses so strongly on artistic breakthroughs and inspired educational projects, such as our new YOLA center, is going to carry us forward with new momentum."

Simon Woods said: "The LA Phil has earned the reputation of being the orchestra that dares to do more, whether it's for the diverse range of today's composers or for the fast-changing communities that we work within and serve. As I look ahead toward this Centennial season, I feel that Gustavo and the artistic team have not just stood by the wager they've made on boldness and innovation but have doubled down on it. LA Phil 100 is indeed a celebration of everything that has led us to this moment - but, more importantly, it is a new beginning for wonderful things to come for this great orchestra and those who are inspired by its music making."

It all begins on September 27 with a festive opening night concert and gala, California Soul, directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, in which Gustavo Dudamel and the orchestra will celebrate the abundance of the Golden State's creativity from John Adams to Frank Zappa. Signaling to all Angelenos that the Centennial has begun, award-winning artist Refik Anadol will illuminate the façade of Walt Disney Concert Hall with WDCH Dreams, a dynamic media installation that draws on imagery, video and audio from the LA Phil's extensive archive of more than 15,000 concerts presented since 1919. From September through October, Anadol will also present Archives on Display in the Gershwin Gallery, showing the arc of the LA Phil's first century as a grand visual sweep of art, architecture and music in dynamic relationship to the people of L.A.

The season kick-off continues on September 30 with a free, day-long Celebrate LA! event for the entire city. The day will have a CicLAvia, an open-air event that will feature performances by professionals and amateurs staged throughout the streets from Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Hollywood Bowl and culminating in a free Bowl concert featuring Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Phil, and a once-in-100-years roster of special guest artists. Additional details for the centennial launch events will be announced this summer.

The 2018/19 Centennial season will celebrate the orchestra's living history by welcoming towering figures such as Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Michael Tilson Thomas back to the podium, each with his own special focus; revisiting key moments in the past, such as the orchestra's work in the 1930s with African-American composer William Grant Still; and publishing Past/Forward: The LA Phil at 100, a two-volume compilation of photographs, interviews, and essays, including conversations between Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic Tim Page and Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta, André Previn, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.

Beginning in March 2019, the LA Phil will set off an unprecedented year of global touring, performing on three continents, including appearances in Seoul, Tokyo, Edinburgh, London, Mexico City, and New York City.

The celebrations will continue through the 2019 Hollywood Bowl season and come to a close with a once-in-a-lifetime gala featuring Dudamel, Mehta and Salonen sharing the podium on October 24, 2019, 100 years to the day after the orchestra's first concert. The LA Phil looks forward to marking the Bowl's centennial in 2022.

Season subscription tickets are available now at laphil.com, 323.850.2000 or the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office. Single tickets will begin to go on sale Sunday, August 5, 2018. Information about the "100 for the 100" free ticket initiative will be announced later this summer.

Additional details can be found at the LA Phil's newly launched website: laphil.com.

STILL NO HELP FOR CONCERTGOERS TRYING TO SCORE TICKETSJane StevensonPublished: February 11, 2018 Updated: February 11, 2018 8:05 PM EST

Many were frustrated they could not buy tickets for Elton John's farewell show in Toronto. (Toronto Sun files)

Frustrated that you couldn’t get tickets for the first leg of Elton John’s farewell tour when they went on sale recently?

Apparently, you were not alone if the angry comments all over Twitter are any indication.

But if it makes you feel any better , the Ontario government’s much heralded anti-bot bill hasn’t become law yet despite being given royal assent in mid-December.

It still has to be proclaimed.Veteran concert promoter Michael Cohl (Toronto Sun files)

“Now that the bill has passed we are actively working to make sure we are ready to enforce the law on day one, when it comes into effect,” Attorney General Ministry spokesman Emilie Smith said in an e-mail to The Toronto Sun.

Smith said in the undetermined interim period — in the U.S., an anti-bot bill was introduced in February, 2015 and didn’t become law until December, 2016 — the ministry is engaged on a number of fronts.

They include working with “police to ensure they are ready to tackle illegal bots; the ministry of government and consumer services to develop enforcement strategies and train their consumer protection officers; consulting with industry on industry-led strategies to counter bot software, and working to clearly lay out the new administrative penalties,” she added.

Veteran Toronto concert promoter Michael Cohl is in favour of the government’s move to battle bots, but cautioned people to lower expectations when it comes to tickets for big shows.Ozzy Osbourne recently announced he will embark on a farewell tour. (Toronto Sun files)

The former chairman of Live Nation — who has handled high-profile tours by acts such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson and The Rolling Stones during the past 45 years — said many tickets for high-demand concerts go to pre-sale credit card holders, fan clubs, VIPs, friends and family, record label types, the promoter’s staff, and corporate sponsors.

“By the time it’s all done, if you’re limited to four tickets per purchase, it’s (approximately) 6,500 people (over two nights at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre where Elton John is playing that will get tickets),” said Cohl, whose latest projects are Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical and the touring exhibit and The Pink Floyd Exhibit: Their Mortal Remains.

“You’re only going to have 6,000 to 9,000 ticket buyers (who get through) and you could have 300,000 trying … So the idea that people will just immediately say, ‘Well, it sold out in a minute and a half and it’s cheating’ — that’s total crap. Of course, it had to sell out instantly. Supply and demand — period. That is never going to change — bots or no bots.”

Music critic Jane Stevenson on who should retire

It really is Goodbye Yellow Brick Road for veteran British performer Elton John who just announced his latest tour will be his final trek — albeit over three years — including a Sept. 25-26 performance at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.

But he’s not the only artist packing it in on the road. (John says he’ll still make albums).

In the last two weeks alone, Paul Simon, Ozzy Osbourne, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Slayer have all announced farewell treks while Neil Diamond had to retire from the road due to a Parkinson’s Disease diagnosis.

Here’s a list of who I think should announce farewell tours:

– Van Morrison. The Irish star does his contracted 70 minutes and then he’s outta there. Where’s the love Van the Man?

– Bob Dylan. I will always love his songs and playing, but when was the last time you could understand what he was actually singing?

– The Eagles. When co-founder Glenn Frey died in early 2016, I thought that might be the end of the southern Cali country-rockers. Instead, they’re back out on the road this year with his son, Deacon Frey, and country star, Vince Gill. Huh?

– The Who. After countless farewell tours, maybe the time has come for Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend to finally pack it in?

– Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention are heading back out on the road with a hologram of Zappa. Uh, no thanks.

Bill Murray to perform in WellingtonLast updated 12:52, February 12 2018Randy HolmesActor Bill Murray will be in New Zealand in November when he's due to perform alongside cellist Jan Vogler.

Legendary actor and comedian Bill Murray will perform in New Zealand in November.

He's set to sing and read classic American literature alongside world-renowned cellist Jan Vogler as part of the pair's New Worlds show.

The show is named after an album Murray and Vogler recorded together in 2017, with Murray singing and reciting passages from US classics accompanied by Vogler on cello.Bill Murray seen here in 1993's Groundhog Day, is bringing a stage show to Wellington.

The pair say their show "communicates the bridges artists have built between America and Europe".

"It's just a short journey from one continent to the other," Murray has said of the performance.

The programme features classic American writers like Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Walt Whitman and composers such as Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Stephen Foster.

The pair play Wellington's Michael Fowler Centre on November 14. Tickets go on sale to the general public on February 19, with presales available from February 14.

Murray is best known for his roles in films like Groundhog Day and Ghostbusters, but has a history of singing and performing music live.

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